25 years of Harry Potter: the most wizard-worthy homes for sale this Christmas

It's 25 years since Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone reached UK cinemas, on 16 November 2001. To mark the anniversary, and with HBO's new series arriving on Christmas Day, we went looking for homes for sale with a little magic built in: turrets, spiral stairs, great halls and stained-glass libraries, from £427,500 to £6.5m.

A quarter of a century on, the film still shapes how a lot of us picture a home with character. Think of a winding stone staircase, a window high up in a tower, or a long table in front of a roaring fire. Homes like that do come up for sale, and not only in Scotland's castles. One of them is in Goathland, the North Yorkshire village whose railway station played Hogsmeade station in the 2001 film.

"Every Christmas, people fall for homes that feel like they come with a story: a spiral staircase, a turret window, a library you could disappear into. They're rarer than you'd think, but character doesn't always cost a fortune. Some of these homes on the market cost less than a typical London house," says Millie Burgess, homes expert at Jitty and a former estate agent.

Here are ten of our favourites:

1. Moorgarth, Goathland, North Yorkshire: £427,500

An ordinary house in an extraordinary village. Goathland's station played Hogsmeade station in the first film, and the village still draws visitors who come for the steam trains and the film memories. This village has a real link to the Harry Potter films, and it's the most affordable. View on Jitty (Hope & Braim)

2. Lickleyhead Castle, Insch, Aberdeenshire: offers over £925,000 (castle only)

The oldest parts of this tower house date from 1580, according to Savills. A stone spiral stair winds up from the Great Hall, which has a walk-in fireplace, and the bedrooms have four-posters. The actress Rose Leslie grew up here. View on Jitty (Savills)

3. Wyfold Court, near Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire: guide £1.5m

An apartment in a flamboyant Gothic mansion from the 1870s, and it has the best bits: a turret room under a Gothic vaulted ceiling, and a library with stained-glass figures for poetry and literature. Residents share the entrance hall and its 43ft staircase. View on Jitty (Savills)

4. Glenthorne, Countisbury, Exmoor: guide £6.5m

A Grade II, Gothic-influenced manor on 77 acres of the Exmoor coast. Much of The English Patient was written here, which makes it a fine choice for a long Christmas with a book. View on Jitty (Savills)

5. Fa'side Castle, Tranent, East Lothian: offers over £1.3m

The castle dates from the 14th century, according to the listing, and the great hall has a stone fireplace and antlers on the walls. Made for a feast, if you can find a long enough table. View on Jitty (Savills)

6. Walmoor House, Chester: £1.9m

A Grade II* house with a galleried oak hall, a stair turret and a former chapel with stained glass. It's a city home, so you get the hall without the isolation. View on Jitty (Savills)

7. Law Castle, West Kilbride, North Ayrshire: offers over £900,000

The castle dates from 1467, according to the listing, and its stone spiral stair is worn by centuries of footsteps. View on Jitty (Savills)

8. The Old Chapel, Finedon, Northamptonshire: £950,000

Gothic cloister arches and a spiral stair beneath a chandelier. Less castle, more enchanted chapel, and under £1m. View on Jitty (Fine & Country)

9. Station House, Wensley, North Yorkshire: offers over £595,000

The former station master's house stands next to the Wensleydale Railway. It's under £600,000, and it's for anyone who has ever imagined a platform of their own. View on Jitty (Robin Jessop)

10. Hadlow Tower, Hadlow, Kent: £2.5m

A Gothic folly tower about 175ft tall, topped with a vaulted lantern. If you've ever wanted to live up a tower, this is the tallest home here by some way. View on Jitty (Fine & Country)

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Five of these ten homes are under £1m, and the cheapest is under £430,000. If you're looking for a home with a bit of magic, search for the thing you actually want, such as a spiral staircase, a turret or a library, rather than just price and bedrooms. On Jitty you can describe the home you'd like to live in, in your own words and see the homes for sale that match.

Disclaimer - Please note that none of these homes *actually* appears in the Harry Potter films or the HBO series. The film link is Goathland's station, which played Hogsmeade station in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (2001). All homes were for sale when checked; details come from the agents' listings, and prices and availability may have changed. Photos courtesy of the listing agents.